Bryn St Peter's CE Primary SchoolScience
Science Statement of Intent
At Bryn St Peter’s C.E. Primary School, our intent is to provide a high-quality, knowledge-rich Science curriculum that develops pupils’ understanding of the world and equips them with the disciplinary skills needed to become competent young scientists. Science is taught as a core subject and planned with ambition, ensuring all pupils—including those with SEND—can achieve well.
We aim to build secure and progressively deepening knowledge across Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Pupils learn key scientific concepts and vocabulary in a carefully sequenced curriculum that allows them to revisit, apply and embed learning over time. Working scientifically is woven throughout all units so pupils learn to ask questions, make predictions, test ideas, gather and interpret data and evaluate outcomes.
Our curriculum nurtures pupils’ natural curiosity, encourages them to think critically and helps them understand the role of science in society, the environment and future careers. Pupils learn how scientific ideas have developed over time and how they are used to explain events, predict behaviour and solve problems in the modern world.
By the time pupils leave Bryn St Peter’s, they will:
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Have a secure body of scientific knowledge and vocabulary.
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Understand scientific enquiry and apply a range of investigative methods confidently.
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Recognise how science shapes their lives and the wider world.
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Record and present information accurately using a range of diagrams, graphs, charts and digital media.
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Demonstrate curiosity, resilience and enjoyment in exploring the world scientifically.
Implementation
Our Science curriculum is implemented through a clear long-term progression model aligned with the National Curriculum. Units are sequenced to ensure prior knowledge is revisited and built upon, allowing pupils to know more and remember more over time. Knowledge organisers, retrieval opportunities and practical investigations support this learning journey.
Teachers deliver Science through a balance of explicit knowledge teaching and structured scientific enquiry. Pupils experience all working scientifically strands: observing over time, pattern seeking, identifying and classifying, comparative and fair testing and using secondary sources. Lessons include modelling, questioning, vocabulary instruction and practical exploration.
Our curriculum is enriched through high-quality real-life experiences that deepen understanding and cultural capital, including:
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Visits to The Three Sisters Recreation Area to study animals and habitats.
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Trips to local farms to explore nutrition and food chains.
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Workshops and exhibitions at Jodrell Bank, enhancing units such as Earth and Space.
These experiences enable pupils to see science in action beyond the classroom and understand its relevance in daily life.
To ensure consistency and progression, pupils use an age-appropriate investigation framework that develops independence and accuracy in recording results. Teachers adapt lessons to meet the needs of all learners and ensure equitable access to the full curriculum. Assessment is ongoing and informs next steps in teaching.
Through high-quality teaching, carefully planned sequences of learning and rich practical experience, pupils develop the knowledge, skills and enthusiasm required for future scientific study.
Science Curriculum Overview Reception - Y6
For more information about what each class covers in their units each term, please see the downloads below.
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Year group |
Autumn topics |
Spring topics |
Summer topics |
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Term 1 |
Term 2 |
Term 1 |
Term 2 |
Term 1 |
Term 2 |
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Reception |
Seasons, ourselves and the human body |
Space Exploration – planets and gravity |
Melting and Freezing – changing states of matter |
Growing habitats and life cycles |
Seasonal changes |
Sinking and floating STEM |
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Year 1 |
Everyday materials How can we identify everyday materials, explore their basic properties, and distinguish them from the objects they are used to make? |
Seasonal Changes How do the seasons change, and how do weather and daylight vary throughout the year? |
Identifying Animals (not including humans) How can we identify and compare different types of animals, their diets, and their body structures? |
Identifying Plants How can we identify different types of plants and describe the basic structures that make up flowers and trees? |
Animals including humans - My Body How can we identify the main parts of the human body and understand the senses they help us use? |
Everyday materials How can we choose materials for different purposes by exploring their properties and testing how well they work in real situations? |
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Year 2 |
Animals including humans How do animals, including humans, grow and survive, and what helps humans stay healthy?
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Living things and their habitats How can we distinguish living things from non-living things, explore different habitats, and understand how animals get their food through simple food chains? |
Animals including humans How do animals, including humans, begin life and grow into adults? |
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Plants How do seeds and bulbs grow into healthy plants, and what conditions do they need to survive? |
Everyday materials How can we decide which materials are best for different uses, and how can their shapes be changed? |
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Year 3 |
Rocks How can we compare different rocks, understand how fossils form, and explain what soil is made from? |
Functions and parts of a plant How do the parts of a plant work together to help it grow, survive, and reproduce? |
Forces & magnets How do different forces affect movement, and how do magnets attract, repel and interact with different materials? |
Animals including humans - nutrition & the human body How do animals, including humans, get the nutrition they need, and how do their skeletons and muscles support, protect and help them move? |
Light How does light help us to see, what makes shadows form and change, and how can we keep ourselves safe from the sun? |
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Year 4 |
Animals including humans How does the human digestive system work, what roles do our different teeth play, and how can food chains help us understand producers, predators and prey? |
Electricity How do electrical circuits work, and how can we use switches, components and different materials to control and conduct electricity? |
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States of Matter How do materials behave as solids, liquids or gases, how do they change state, and what roles do evaporation and condensation play in the water cycle? |
Living things and their habitats How can we group living things and use classification keys to identify and name organisms in different environments? |
Sound How are sounds made and transmitted, and how do vibration, pitch, volume and distance affect what we hear? |
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Year 5 |
Properties and changes of materials |
Properties and changes of materials |
Earth and Space How is our solar system organised, and how have scientific ideas about Earth’s movement, the Moon and the cycle of day and night developed over time? |
Forces How do different forces such as gravity, friction and resistance affect movement, and how can mechanisms like levers, pulleys and gears make forces more effective? |
Animals, including humans How do humans change and develop throughout the stages of life? |
Living things and their habitats How do different animals grow, reproduce and change across their life cycles, and what can we learn from scientists who study these processes? |
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Year 6 |
Living things and their habitats How can we classify living things into kingdoms, and what can investigations teach us about how organisms grow and reproduce? |
Evolution and inheritance How do living things inherit traits and evolve over time, and what evidence from fossils and scientific discoveries helps us understand these processes? |
Animals including humans How does the human circulatory system work, and how do factors like diet, exercise and lifestyle affect how our bodies function and transport nutrients and water? |
Light How does light travel, how does this allow us to see, and why do objects cast shadows that match their shape? |
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Electricity How do changes in voltage affect the way electrical components work, and how can we use standard symbols to represent and understand circuits? |